Asus ROG G703 First Impressions: If absolute power and overclocking came in a portable package

Republic of Gamers (ROG), a sub-brand to the Taiwanese electronics giant Asus has refreshed its laptops. The company has upgraded its series of Gaming laptops with the latest 9th generation Intel core processors. In addition to the latest Intel processors, the new ROG series also comes with Nvidia RTX graphics cards. The company showcased the latest lineup of gaming-centric laptops in a closed-door briefing last month. During the briefing, the company shared details about multiple lineups that it is planning to launch in India this year. As part of the briefing, we got to spend some time with the latest and greatest from ROG. Asus ROG G703 was one of the devices that I got a chance to play with.

ROG G703 is quite different from the rest of the laptops that Asus ROG showcased during the briefing. For one, unlike other ROG laptops, it sports with an Intel Core i9 that can be overclocked and an overclocked GPU. So, without any further delay, here are my first impressions for the Asus ROG G703.

Monstrous body with beefy, almost overkill specifications

The first time you look at the Asus ROG G703, you are more than likely to know that this laptop means business. It is evident by the massive design that this thing is not likely to compromise on any aspect of gaming. It is worth noting that it is not as crazy as laptops for the past that came with the radiator and the cooling unit behind. The laptop is unlike rest of the ROG lineup that is gradually moving towards a thin, sleek look. In fact, we can see massive air vents on both sides of the laptop and on the back. However, this inversion in the design language is not by choice as this machine likely needs such a design.

To go over the specifications, Asus ROG G703 features Intel Core i9 9980HK with Nvidia RTX 2080. The GPU packs 8GB GDDR6 VRAM to handle the most intensive of graphics or gaming tasks. Beyond that, the giant can sport up to 32GB DDR SDRAM. The interesting thing to note here is that even though it comes with a 2TB 2.5-inch Firecuda hard drive, it also comes with three M.2 PCIEX4 NVME slots with 512GB SSD. All these drives are set up in RAID0.

The laptop comes with a 17.3-inch IPS LED display with FHD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) resolution. The display features 144Hz refresh rate with 2ms response time, and Nvidia G-Sync support and an anti-glare finish. It also features Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth v5.0 for wireless connectivity. For connectivity. the laptop sports three USB 3.1 Generation 2 ports, one RJ-45 port, and one USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 port. Asus has also added one mini Display Port 1.4, two 3.5mm audio sockets for headphone out and mic in, and one HDMI 2 port. It also comes with one Kensington lock port, one card reader and two DC ports for power on the back.

You get an overclock, You get an overclock, everyone gets an overclock!!! (almost)

The highlight of this laptop is not likely to be its specifications in particular, but its ability to overclock. Serious gamers and even users can overclock both the CPU as well as the GPU in this machine. According to the company, users can achieve a stable overclock of the Core i9 CPU up to 4.8GHz. The Nvidia RTX 2080 is already overclocked to 1855MHz.

All this raw power needs this huge chassis along with sufficiently powerful fans. Asus ROG has also added two 12V fans with anti-dust cooling technology and 0.1mm thermal fins in the laptop. During my brief time with the laptop, I played Metro Exodus on the laptop at Ultra settings with absolutely no issues. However, the fans kicked in immediately after I started the game and they were somewhat out.

Rest of the features on Asus ROG G703

Existing Xbox gamers can even connect their Xbox controllers with the laptop and use the controller to play the games. They can also use the controller to control the Xbox game bar with the Xbox hotkey to record or broadcast the game. The keyboard on Asus ROG G703 is also one of the best that I have seen in some time with a 2.5mm travel distance and 0.3mm keycap curve. Similar to most other ROG laptops, the ROG G703 also comes with RBG backlit keyboard with per-key lighting.

It also features two 2W speakers and 2 4.5W speakers along with the Smart AMP technology, and an array microphone. Asus has also added the ESS 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC for the top of the line audio. The laptop sports a puny 96Wh battery which really is of no consequence. Considering the specifications of the laptop and its main purpose, it is unlikely that it will be used for “regular use”. Asus has also added two 280W power adapters to power the overclock-able CPU and overclocked GPU in the ROG G703. Two power adapters increase the total weight of the Asus ROG G703 setup quite heavy than what it already is at.

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First Impressions of the Asus ROG G703

I was both extremely impressed as well as in awe in the limited time that I spent with the Asus ROG G703. It is rare to see a product that is both grounded in reality as well as so over the top. There are very few products that are so close to the line of impracticality while making absolute sense for the right people. I will dig deeper into its performance and value for money in my complete review. In the meantime, stay tuned for other first impressions from the briefing. Asus will share more details about these laptops in the coming weeks.